Taxi for Maicon, sang the Spurs fans, filled with glee at the sight of the former Brazil star preparing to join the fray at the Etihad Stadium.

Maicon tangles in mid-air with Gareth Bale of Tottenham during the 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium

Taxi for Maicon, sang the Spurs fans, filled with glee at the sight of the former Brazil star preparing to join the fray at the Etihad Stadium.

They had seen their side take a 1-0 lead against the Premier League champions, and fancied doing their first Manchester ‘double’ for 53 seasons, having already beaten United at Old Trafford in September.

The sight of Maicon coming on confirmed to many that this was their day – and, truth be told, it hardly filled many City fans with confidence.

They had also seen the right- back ravaged by Gareth Bale when Spurs took on Inter Milan in the Champions League two seasons ago.

On that night at White Hart Lane it appeared Maicon’s halcyon days as one of the finest attacking full-backs in the world were behind him, as he was repeatedly exposed by Bale’s pace, directness and youthful vigour.

City fans were scratching their heads when the Blues shelled out £3m to bring in the 31-year-old on transfer deadline day. And fears they had signed a washed-up player were not eased by his first two games in sky blue.

On his debut, in the thunderdome which is the Britannia Stadium, he was given a difficult afternoon by Matt Etherington – and yet three days later manager Roberto Mancini was confident enough to pit him against Real Madrid, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The outcome was predictable. Until City re-shuffled to afford him more protection, Maicon was tormented by the Portuguese ace, although he had already been substituted when Ronaldo scored the winner in a 3-2 City defeat.

He picked up a heel injury in that game which kept him out for nearly two months, returning to the bench for last week’s draw with Ajax and then emerging as a sub against Spurs. It didn’t quite pan out as the gleeful visiting supporters had envisaged. For a start, Mancini did not play him as a conventional full-back, which would have again exposed him to Bale’s avarice.

The manager proved that he has been unbowed by all the criticism of his tactics in recent weeks by boldly switching to a 3-5-2 system, in a bid to force the action more into Tottenham’s half of the pitch.

Right-back Pablo Zabaleta, who had done a good job on Bale with his usual mix of uncompromising commitment and tactical savvy, became one of the back three, with Bale still part of his remit.

Maicon was asked to play as a wing back and evoke memories of the cavalier attacking play which marked him out as a major star. He did just that, giving the Blues another attacking dimension, and helping to push Spurs even further back into their shell.

Surplus

Of course, he cannot be judged on one game, just as it was unfair to damn him for his first two games against Stoke and Madrid. But maybe we got a glimpse of what Mancini has in store for Maicon.

As Joe Hart (below) said after the Spurs game: “We haven’t really seen what we want to see from Maicon this season but he powered down that line and made a big difference.”

The City boss likes experienced players who will inspire the younger men. That is why he brought in Patrick Vieira – also deemed surplus to requirements at Inter and seen as washed-up, but whose dressing room influence and calm head were invaluable in landing the 2011 FA Cup and guiding City into the Champions League. As a player, he also showed that he is a better wing back than a conventional right-back. Defending has never been his forte, but playing wide in a five-man midfield, with the insurance of Zabaleta behind him, certainly does.

The fear was that Bale would exploit the gap down the side of the three-man City defence, but with the Blues in the ascendancy, he had his hands full trying to help plug the gaps created by City’s forceful seven-man attack.

With Aleks Kolarov on the other side, another man better as a wing back than a full-back, Tottenham were forced onto the back foot but could not stem the flow, and Silva’s flitting role allowed him to play in Edin Dzeko for the winner.

Considering he has been out injured for a month, Silva was excellent, fulfilling Mancini’s prediction that his return would help other players, notably Yaya Toure, return to form.

The only black mark was Tottenham’s goal, which appeared to be an error by Hart, who failed to hold Steven Caulker’s header as it flew straight at him.

But Hart felt he had little chance, saying afterwards he was not disappointed at his failure to keep it out.

“No, not at all. I didn’t know what happened. It was a good header,” he said. “I did my best, but I didn’t know what I was doing because it was so quick and it went in.”

That was soon forgotten as City put on a good performance, hitting back with Sergio Aguero’s accomplished finish before Dzeko won it late in the game to equal City’s Premier League record of 17 unbeaten games.

“We’re happy with our squad, happy with how it’s going,” said Hart.

“It can always get better – I think everyone would agree with that and, hopefully, we can move forward.

“We’re very solid and when we’re not, we have the strike power to get us out of trouble. With the quality and the spirit, we’re not here for anything else other than to win.”

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